Okay, so I got this sudden urge to try making some Senegalese food the other day. Don’t ask me why, just popped into my head. Maybe saw something on TV, maybe just bored with the usual stuff.
First thing, figuring out what to make. Everyone talks about Thieboudienne, right? The fish and rice thing. Looked complicated, honestly. Lots of steps, specific fish, broken rice which isn’t exactly falling off the shelves at my local supermarket.
Finding the Goods
So, the hunt began. Went to a couple of international markets. Found some things, not others. Trying to explain what I needed was… an adventure. Pointing, gesturing, using terrible French pronunciations I picked up online. Felt a bit silly, but hey, gotta do what you gotta do.
Ended up substituting a few things. Couldn’t find the exact dried fish, got something similar-ish. Same with some of the veggies. You just make do, you know? It’s part of the process, part of the fun, I guess.
Getting Down to Business
Back in the kitchen, it was time. Spread everything out. Looked daunting. Followed a recipe I cobbled together from a few different places online. Chopping, frying, simmering. The smells started filling the place up – onions, garlic, tomato paste, spices I couldn’t even name properly.
This took ages. Seriously. Way longer than I thought. Constant stirring, adding things bit by bit. Made a right mess too. Rice stuck to the bottom of one pot. Nearly burned the fish. Standard kitchen chaos for me when trying something new.
The Moment of Truth
Finally, it looked… somewhat like the pictures. Plated it up. Sat down. Took a bite.
And? It was pretty good! Not gonna lie. Different. Spicy, savory, fishy, all mixed together. The rice had soaked up all that flavour. Was it authentic? Probably not, given my ingredient swaps and rookie mistakes. But it tasted like effort, tasted like something new.
- The fish was cooked through, thankfully.
- The rice had that reddish colour from the tomato.
- The vegetables were soft and flavourful.
So yeah, that was my little journey into Senegalese cooking. Messy, took forever, wasn’t perfect. But it was satisfying to make something totally different with my own hands. Would I do it again? Maybe. Need to recover from the cleanup first.
